Note: In most areas of the world, Lenovo requires the return of the defective Customer Replaceable Unit (CRU). Information about this will come with the CRU or will come a few days after the CRU arrives.
Obtaining device drivers
You can obtain device drivers for operating systems that are not preinstalled at
http://www.lenovo.com/support. Installation instructions are provided in readme files with the device-driver files.
Chapter 6. Recovery information
This chapter provides information about the recovery solutions provided by Lenovo.
This chapter contains the following topics:
• Creating and using recovery media
• Performing backup and recovery operations
• Using the Rescue and Recovery workspace
• Creating and using a rescue medium
• Installing or reinstalling device drivers
• Solving recovery problems Notes:
1. The recovery information in this chapter only applies to the computers that have the Rescue and Recovery program or the Product Recovery program installed. If the Enhanced Backup and Restore icon in the Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools program is dimmed, it indicates that you need to install the Rescue and Recovery program manually before enabling its features. To install the Rescue and Recovery program, do the following:
a. Click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools, and double-click Enhanced Backup and Restore.
b. Follow the instructions on the screen.
c. When the installation process completes, the Enhanced Backup and Restore icon is activated.
2. There are a variety of methods to choose from when considering how to recover in the event of a software- or hardware-related problem. Some methods vary depending on the type of operating system that is installed.
3. The product on the recovery media may be used only for the following purposes:
• Restore the product preinstalled on your computer
• Reinstall the product
• Modify the product using the Additional Files
Creating and using recovery media
You can use recovery media to restore the hard disk drive to the factory default state. Recovery media are useful if you transfer the computer to another area, sell the computer, recycle the computer, or put the computer in an operational state after all other methods of recovery have failed. As a precautionary measure, it is important to create recovery media as early as possible.
Note: The recovery operations you can perform using recovery media vary depending on the operating system from which the recovery media were created. The recovery media might contain a boot medium and a data medium. Your Microsoft Windows license permits you to create only one data medium, so it is important that you store the recovery media in a safe place after you have made them.
Creating recovery media
This section provides instructions on how to create recovery media on different operating systems.
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Note: On the Windows 7 operating system, you can create recovery media using discs or external USB storage devices. On the Windows Vista operating systems, you can create recovery media using only discs, so this operation is also called “creating Product Recovery discs.”
• To create recovery media on the Windows 7 operating system, click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools ➙ Factory Recovery Disks. Then, follow the instructions on the screen.
• To create Product Recovery discs on the Windows Vista operating system, click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ ThinkVantage ➙ Create Product Recovery Media. Then, follow the instructions on the screen.
Using recovery media
This section provides instructions on how to use recovery media on the Windows 7 operating system.
On the Windows 7 operating system and the Windows Vista operating system, you can use recovery media to restore the contents of the hard disk drive to the factory default state. Also, you can use recovery media to put the computer in an operational state after all other methods of hard disk drive recovery have failed.
Attention: When you use recovery media to restore the contents of the hard disk to the factory default state, all the files currently on the hard disk drive will be deleted and replaced by the factory default files.
To use recovery media on the Windows 7 operating system or the Windows Vista operating system, do the following:
1. Depending on the type of your recovery media, connect the boot medium (memory key or other USB storage device) to the computer, or insert the boot disc into the optical drive.
2. Repeatedly press and release the F12 key when turning on the computer. When the Please select boot device window opens, release the F12 key.
3. Select the desired startup device and press Enter. The restore process begins.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the operation.
Note: After restoring your computer hard disk drive to the factory default state, you might have to reinstall device drivers for some devices. See “Reinstalling device drivers” on page 75.
Performing backup and recovery operations
The Rescue and Recovery program enables you to back up all your hard disk drive contents including the operating system, data files, software programs, and personal settings. You can designate where the Rescue and Recovery program stores the backup:
• In a protected area of your hard disk drive
• On the secondary hard disk drive if a secondary hard disk drive is installed in your computer
• On an attached external USB hard disk drive
• On a network drive
• On recordable discs (a recordable optical drive is required for this option)
After you have backed up the contents of the hard disk drive, you can restore the complete contents of the hard disk drive, restore selected files only, or restore the Windows operating system and applications only while keeping the other data on your hard disk drive.
Performing a backup operation
This section provides instructions on how to perform a backup operation using the Rescue and Recovery program on different operating systems.
• To perform a backup operation using the Rescue and Recovery program on the Windows 7 operating system, do the following:
1. From the Windows desktop, click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools ➙ Enhanced Backup and Restore. The Rescue and Recovery program opens.
2. In the Rescue and Recovery main window, click the Launch advanced Rescue and Recovery arrow.
3. Click Back up your hard drive and select backup operation options. Then, follow the instructions on the screen to complete the backup operation.
• To perform a backup operation using the Rescue and Recovery program on the Windows Vista operating system, do the following:
1. From the Windows desktop, click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ ThinkVantage ➙ Rescue and Recovery.
The Rescue and Recovery program opens.
2. In the Rescue and Recovery main window, click Launch advanced Rescue and Recovery ➙ Back up your hard drive, and select backup operation options.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the backup operation.
Performing a recovery operation
This section provides instructions on how to perform a recovery operation using the Rescue and Recovery program on different operating systems.
• To perform a recovery operation using the Rescue and Recovery program on the Windows 7 operating system, do the following:
1. From the Windows desktop, click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools ➙ Enhanced Backup and Restore. The Rescue and Recovery program opens.
2. In the Rescue and Recovery main window, click the Launch advanced Rescue and Recovery arrow.
3. Click the Restore your system from a backup icon.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the recovery operation.
• To perform a recovery operation using the Rescue and Recovery program on the Windows Vista operating system, do the following:
1. From the Windows desktop, click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ ThinkVantage ➙ Rescue and Recovery.
The Rescue and Recovery program opens.
2. In the Rescue and Recovery main window, click Launch advanced Rescue and Recovery.
3. Click the Restore your system from a backup icon.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the recovery operation.
For more information about performing a recovery operation from the Rescue and Recovery workspace, see
“Using the Rescue and Recovery workspace” on page 71.
Using the Rescue and Recovery workspace
The Rescue and Recovery workspace resides in a protected, hidden area of your hard disk drive that operates independently from the Windows operating system. This enables you to perform recovery operations even if you cannot start the Windows operating system. You can perform the following recovery operations from the Rescue and Recovery workspace:
• Rescue files from your hard disk drive or from a backup: The Rescue and Recovery workspace enables you to locate files on your hard disk drive and transfer them to a network drive or other recordable media, such as a USB device or a disc. This solution is available even if you did not back up your files or if changes were made to the files since your last backup operation. You can also rescue individual files from a Rescue and Recovery backup located on your local hard disk drive, a USB device, or a network drive.
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• Restore your hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup: If you have backed up your hard disk drive using the Rescue and Recovery program, you can restore the hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup, even if you cannot start the Windows operating system.
• Restore your hard disk drive to the factory default state: The Rescue and Recovery workspace enables you to restore the complete contents of your hard disk drive to the factory default state. If you have multiple partitions on your hard disk drive, you have the option to restore the C: partition and leave the other partitions intact. Because the Rescue and Recovery workspace operates independently from the Windows operating system, you can restore the hard disk drive to the factory default state even if you cannot start the Windows operating system.
Attention: If you restore the hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup or restore the hard disk drive to the factory default settings, all files on the primary hard disk drive partition (usually drive C:) will be deleted in the recovery process. If possible, make copies of important files. If you are unable to start the Windows operating system, you can use the rescue files feature of the Rescue and Recovery workspace to copy files from your hard disk drive to other media.
To start the Rescue and Recovery workspace, do the following:
1. Make sure the computer is turned off.
2. Repeatedly press and release the F11 key when turning on the computer. When you hear beeps or see a logo screen, release the F11 key.
3. If you have set a Rescue and Recovery password, type your password when prompted. The Rescue and Recovery workspace opens after a short delay.
Note: If the Rescue and Recovery workspace fails to open, see “Solving recovery problems” on page 75.
4. Do one of the following:
• To rescue files from your hard disk drive or from a backup, click Rescue files and follow the instructions on the screen.
• To restore your hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup or to restore your hard disk drive to the factory default settings, click Restore your system and follow the instructions on the screen.
For more information about the features of the Rescue and Recovery workspace, click Help.
Note: After restoring your hard disk drive to the factory default state, you might have to reinstall device drivers for some devices. See “Reinstalling device drivers” on page 75.
Creating and using a rescue medium
With a rescue medium, such as a disc or a USB hard disk drive, you can recover the computer from failures that prevent you from gaining access to the Rescue and Recovery workspace on your hard disk drive.
Notes:
1. The recovery operations you can perform using a rescue medium vary depending on the operating system.
2. The rescue disc can be started in all types of optical drives.
Creating a rescue medium
This section provides instructions on how to create a rescue medium on different operating systems.
• To create a rescue medium on the Windows 7 operating system, do the following:
1. From the Windows desktop, click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools ➙ Enhanced Backup and Restore. The Rescue and Recovery program opens.
3. Click the Create Rescue Media icon. The Create Rescue and Recovery Media window opens.
4. In the Rescue Media area, select the type of the rescue medium you want to create. You can create a rescue medium using a disc, a USB hard disk drive, or a secondary internal hard disk drive.
5. Click OK and follow the instructions on the screen to create a rescue medium.
• To create a rescue medium on the Windows Vista operating system, do the following:
1. From the Windows desktop, click Start ➙ All Programs ➙ ThinkVantage ➙ Create Recovery Media. The Create Rescue and Recovery Media window opens.
2. In the Rescue Media area, select the type of the rescue medium you want to create. You can create a rescue medium using a disc, a USB hard disk drive, or a secondary internal hard disk drive.
3. Click OK and follow the instructions on the screen to create a rescue medium.
Using a rescue medium
This section provides instructions on how to use the rescue medium you have created.
• If you have created a rescue medium using a disc, use the following instructions to use the rescue medium:
1. Turn off your computer.
2. Repeatedly press and release the F12 key when turning on the computer. When the Please select boot device window opens, release the F12 key.
3. In the Please select boot device window, select the desired optical drive as the first boot device.
Then, insert the rescue disc into the optical drive and press Enter. The rescue medium starts.
• If you have created a rescue medium using a USB hard disk drive, use the following instructions to use the rescue medium:
1. Attach the USB hard disk drive to one of the USB connectors on your computer.
2. Repeatedly press and release the F12 key when turning on the computer. When the Please select boot device window opens, release the F12 key.
3. In the Please select boot device window, select the USB hard disk drive as the first boot device and press Enter. The rescue medium starts.
When the rescue medium starts, the Rescue and Recovery workspace opens. The help information for each feature is available from the Rescue and Recovery workspace. Follow the instructions to complete the recovery process.
Reinstalling preinstalled applications and device drivers
Your computer has provisions that enable you to reinstall selected factory-installed applications and device drivers.
Reinstalling preinstalled applications
This section provides instructions on how to reinstall preinstalled applications.
To reinstall the selected applications preinstalled on your Lenovo computer, do the following:
1. Turn on the computer.
2. Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to display the directory structure of your hard disk drive.
3. Go to the C:\SWTOOLS directory.
4. Open the apps folder. Within the apps folder, there are several subfolders named for various applications installed in your computer.
5. Open the appropriate application subfolder.
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6. In the application subfolder, look for a SETUP.EXE file or other appropriate EXE files for setup.
Double-click the file and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.
Reinstalling preinstalled device drivers
This section provides instructions on how to reinstall preinstalled device drivers.
Attention: When you reinstall device drivers, you are changing the current configuration of your computer.
Reinstall device drivers only when it is necessary to correct a problem with your computer.
To reinstall the device driver for a factory-installed device, do the following:
1. Turn on the computer.
2. Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to display the directory structure of your hard disk drive.
3. Go to the C:\SWTOOLS directory.
4. Open the DRIVERS folder. Within the DRIVERS folder, there are several subfolders named for various devices installed in your computer, such as AUDIO or VIDEO.
5. Open the appropriate device subfolder.
6. Do one of the following:
• In the device subfolder, look for a SETUP.exe file. Double-click the file and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.
• In the device subfolder, look for a README.txt file or a file with the .txt extension. This file might be named after the operating system, such as WIN98.txt. The TXT file contains information about how to install the device driver. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.
• If the device subfolder contains a file with the .inf extension and you want to install the device driver using the INF file, refer to your Windows Help and Support information system for detailed information about how to install the device driver.
Note: If you need updated device drivers, see “Getting the latest device drivers for your computer” on page 85 for more information.
Reinstalling software programs
If a software program you installed on your computer is not working correctly, you might need to remove and reinstall it. Reinstalling overwrites the existing programs files and usually fixes any problems that you might have had with that program.
To remove a program in your system, see Microsoft Windows help system for detailed information.
To reinstall the program, do one of the following:
Note: The method of reinstalling a program varies from program to program. Refer to the documentation provided with the program to see if your program has special installation instructions.
• To reinstall most commercially available programs in your system, see Microsoft Windows help system for more information.
• To reinstall selected application programs that came preinstalled from Lenovo, do the following:
1. Turn on the computer.
2. Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to display the directory structure of your hard disk drive.
3. Go to the C:\SWTOOLS directory.
4. Open the APPS folder. Within the APPS folder, there are several subfolders named for various applications installed in your computer.
5. Open the appropriate application subfolder.
6. In the application subfolder, look for a SETUP.EXE file or other appropriate EXE files for setup.
Double-click the file and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.
Reinstalling device drivers
To reinstall a device driver for an option you installed, refer to the documentation that comes with the option.
When you reinstall device drivers, you are changing the current configuration of your computer. Reinstall device drivers only when it is necessary to correct a problem with your computer.
For more information about reinstalling device drivers that came with your computer, see “Reinstalling preinstalled applications and device drivers” on page 73.
Solving recovery problems
If you are unable to access the Rescue and Recovery workspace or the Windows environment, do one of the following:
• Use a rescue medium to start the Rescue and Recovery workspace. See “Creating and using a rescue medium” on page 72.
• Use recovery media if all other methods of recovery have failed and you need to restore the hard disk drive to the factory default settings. See “Creating and using recovery media” on page 69.
Note: If you are unable to access the Rescue and Recovery workspace or the Windows environment from
Note: If you are unable to access the Rescue and Recovery workspace or the Windows environment from